CAFrgDB

CAFrgDB catalogs cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF)–related genes and provides integrated annotations and analyses to support investigation of CAF roles in the tumor microenvironment and cancer biology.

Key Features:

• Gene collection and provenance: Compiles 5421 CAF-associated genes identified from both small- and large-scale experimental studies.
• Categorization: Organizes genes into three groups: 4982 responsors that directly or indirectly influence malignant behaviors mediated by CAFs, 1069 secretions produced by CAFs, and 281 regulators that modulate CAF activity.
• Taxonomic and cancer coverage: Includes data across human and mouse models spanning 24 distinct cancer types.
• TCGA-based analyses: Provides gene expression and prognostic marker analyses derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) for the included cancer types.
• Integrated protein annotations: Aggregates annotations from nine public databases encompassing protein-protein interactions, drug-target relationships, and fundamental gene/protein annotations.

Scientific Applications:

• Functional characterization of CAFs: Enables exploration of CAF-related genes to elucidate CAF roles in tumor microenvironment remodeling and cancer pathogenesis.
• Prognostic marker investigation: Supports evaluation of CAF-associated genes as prognostic markers across multiple cancer types using TCGA data.
• Interaction and target discovery: Facilitates study of protein-protein interactions and drug-target relationships for CAF-associated proteins.
• Cross-species and cross-cancer comparisons: Allows comparative analyses across human and mouse models and among 24 cancer types.

Methodology:

Curated 5421 CAF-related genes from small- and large-scale experimental studies; classified genes into responsors, secretions, and regulators; performed gene expression and prognostic analyses using TCGA data; and integrated annotations from nine public databases.